Thanks to SF Bd of Supervisors: Celebration of Women & Roe v Wade, Jan. 26

The San Francisco  Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the following resolution on Dec, 11, 2012.  Thanks to the Board, and to Supervisors David Campos and Malia Cohen for introducing the resolution:

Resolution commemorating the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and commending the work of pro-choice advocates and service providers in San Francisco.

WHEREAS, January of 2013 will mark the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that legalized abortion; and

WHEREAS, Access to legal and affordable family planning health care services has been integral to expanding opportunities for success and satisfaction by women and girls in the emotional, economic, educational and professional spheres, as well as for the men and children in their lives and for communities as a whole; and

WHEREAS, Americans believe that women should be able to consult with their health care provider, family and faith about personal, private medical decisions; and

WHEREAS, One in three American women will have an abortion by age 45, and 99% of heterosexually active couples have used birth control; and

WHEREAS, Denied abortion care perpetuates poverty, while women of lower-income are already five times more likely to have unintended pregnancies.

WHEREAS, The number of people infected with sexually transmitted infections in California has steadily increased, reaffirming the importance of continued support for sexual health and family planning education and resources. And

WHEREAS, States enacted twice as many anti-choice laws in 2011 as they did in any recent previous year, including laws that force women who choose abortion care to undergo a forced ultrasound procedure against their will even if their doctors do not recommend one; and

WHEREAS, Many states are still shutting down crucial reproductive health and family planning services for women creating greater barriers in distance, insulting waiting periods, and psychological duress via biased counseling; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. House of Representatives voted in its most recent session to defund Title X, the only federal program exclusively dedicated to family-planning and reproductive-health care, and Planned Parenthood, jeopardizing access to birth control, cancer screenings, and other basic health care for millions of Americans; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. House of Representatives also passed a bill that would allow hospitals to refuse emergency abortion care to women who could die without it; and

WHEREAS, Most voters recently rejected threats to women’s reproductive autonomy and rights, including offensive remarks about rape; and

WHEREAS, The United Nations has declared family planning an essential human right; and

WHEREAS, San Francisco was one of the first cities to pass an ordinance forbidding crisis pregnancy centers, that do not provide or refer for abortion care, from continuing to use deceptive advertising to take advantage of vulnerable pregnant women, and California passed bills to unshackle pregnant women and allow more health-care providers to administer first trimester abortions, and

WHEREAS, California and San Francisco have done an outstanding job of improving the accessibility and affordability of reproductive health care, including through two federal court blocks from decreasing Medi-Cal reimbursements to health care providers and improving coverage through programs such as Family Pact; and

WHEREAS, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee co-sponsored a resolution approved by the U.S. Conference of  Mayors in 2012 affirming the importance of women’s reproductive rights; and

WHEREAS, It is essential that the Bay Area lead the way in mobilizing visible and vocal public support for reproductive health, rights and justice, which includes ready access to legal and affordable family planning services and the full range of conditions required to assure women’s physical and emotional health and the enjoyment of human rights;  and

WHEREAS, The Celebration of Women, Life and Liberty, scheduled for January 26, 2013, at 10 a.m. at Justin Herman Plaza, in San Francisco, organized by a broad coalition of groups assembled by the Trust Women/Silver Ribbon Campaign, will begin the year with a mobilization in recognition of these facts and in support of the principles stated above and will include a display of related banners on Market Street,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That the San Francisco Board of Supervisors affirms the importance of reproductive health, rights  and justice, and women’s access to safe, comprehensive and affordable reproductive health care including the right to safe and accessible abortion services; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the San Francisco Board of Supervisors supports the work of pro-choice and reproductive justice advocates in commemorating and honoring the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, this January of 2013.

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